1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to dental mouth props and suction devices, and more particularly to a mouth prop and tongue retractor apparatus which holds a dental patient's mouth open, adjustably positions a patient's tongue, and evacuates saliva from a patient's mouth during dental procedures.
2. Description of the Background Art
Dental props, tongue positioners, and saliva evacuation devices are commonly used in dental and oral surgery practice. Such devices facilitate dental and oral surgery procedures by improving visibility and increasing the available working space within a patient's mouth, and by removing saliva from the patient's mouth which would otherwise accumulate and interfere with dental operations and generally increase patient discomfort. Saliva removal is further necessitated because dental procedures frequently involve substances, such as mercury amalgam particles, which are unhealthy to ingest and would otherwise be swallowed by a patient if not removed by suction.
Several devices are known in the dental and oral surgery professions for positioning a patient's mouth and tongue during treatment and/or removing saliva and debris therefrom. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,362 discloses a dental suction appliance wherein a tongue deflector is coupled to an aspiration tube and held in place by a bite tube between a patient's teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,686 discloses a dental appliance which includes a tongue stabilizer and suction tube that are slidably coupled to a bite block. U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,057 discloses a dental appliance in which a bite block includes apertures which serve as evacuation nozzles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,986 discloses a dental appliance wherein a collector member having a tongue guard and collector membrane is held in place by a bite block. U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,071 discloses a dental appliance having a collector member with a tongue guard and collector membrane held in place by a bite block. U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,814 discloses a mouth prop and oral evacuation device wherein a generally U-shaped suction tube and tongue guard are secured to a mouth prop. U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,642 discloses a dental appliance having a suction tube and flat shield which are attached to a bite block. U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,333 discloses a dental appliance in which a tongue guard member with a series of evacuation channels is connected to a bite block. Swedish Patent No. 142,956 discloses a combined saliva evacuator and tongue positioner having a suction tube and tongue plate which are positioned by a movable chin rest and a movable jaw rest. U.S. Pat. No. 637,970 discloses a dental saliva ejector and tongue depressor having a hooked saliva evacuation tube with a deflector plate.
As can be seen, therefore, a variety of mouth props, tongue positioners and saliva evacuators for dental and oral surgery applications are known. Conventional devices, however, have some serious drawbacks. For example, conventional devices generally do not permit mouth positioning, adjustable tongue retraction, and saliva evacuation functions at the same time. Thus, an assistant is required during dental procedures to aid in performing one or more of these functions, thereby increasing the cost and time required for the dental treatment. Further, more than one instrument is generally required to carry out each of these functions simultaneously, and the multiple instruments reduce space and visibility within the patients mouth and generally increase patient discomfort.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mouth prop and tongue retractor apparatus which provides for simultaneous adjustable tongue retraction or positioning, saliva evacuation, and mouth propping functions by a single instrument, which performs these functions without requiring an assistant, which improves patient comfort and reduces time required for dental procedures, and which optimizes the space and visibility within a patient's mouth during dental procedures. The present invention satisfies these needs, as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies found in the background art.
The foregoing patents reflect the state of the art of which the applicant is aware and are tendered with the view toward discharging applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information which may be pertinent in the examination of this application. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that none of these patents teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, applicant's claimed invention.